The 5 Things Education Consultants Waste Time On (And What to Focus on Instead)

If you've been listening to the last few episodes of the Education Biz Podcast, you've probably noticed a recurring theme: summer matters.

We've talked about why June is not the month to disappear. We've discussed how school administrators are already planning for the upcoming school year. And we've explored why the consultants who build momentum during the summer are often the ones who have the strongest fall.

But today, we're looking at the other side of the equation.

Because sometimes success isn't about what you should be doing.

Sometimes it's about what you need to stop doing.

Over the years, I've worked with hundreds of education consultants, and I've noticed a pattern. There are certain activities consultants spend hours, weeks, and sometimes even months focusing on that rarely lead to contracts.

They're not necessarily bad activities.

They're just not the highest-leverage activities.

If you're wondering what you should focus on this summer, let's start by identifying the five biggest time-wasters that could be slowing down your growth.

Why Summer Feels So Confusing for Education Consultants

One of the most common questions I hear from education consultants is:

"What should I actually be focusing on right now?"

It's a fair question.

Summer often feels like the perfect time to work on your business, but there are so many options competing for your attention.

You could redesign your website.

You could create new workshops.

You could spend hours on social media.

You could try to master LinkedIn, email marketing, conferences, or content creation.

The challenge isn't a lack of effort.

The challenge is knowing which activities will actually move your business forward.

That's exactly why I created the Summer Success Roadmap, a guide designed to help education consultants focus on the highest-impact activities in June, July, and August so they can position themselves for a booked fall.

But before we talk about what you should be doing, let's talk about what you should stop doing.

Time-Waster #1: Perfecting Your Website Before Clarifying Your Offer

This is one of the most common mistakes education consultants make.

They decide they want to grow their business, and the first thing they do is start building a website.

They spend weeks selecting colors, adjusting fonts, writing copy, organizing pages, and making everything look perfect.

Here's the truth:

Your website is not your offer.

Your website communicates clarity. It does not create clarity.

Before investing countless hours into your website, make sure you can clearly answer these questions:

• Who do you help?
• What problem do you solve?
• What transformation do you provide?
• Why should schools choose you?

A consultant with a clear offer and a simple landing page will often outperform a consultant with a beautiful website and a vague message.

Focus on clarity first.

The website can come later.

Time-Waster #2: Creating More Workshops

Former educators are especially vulnerable to this one.

We're used to creating lessons, resources, and training materials. It feels productive because it's familiar.

But schools aren't looking for more workshops.

They're looking for solutions.

The most successful education consultants aren't selling individual trainings. They're helping schools move from one outcome to another through a clear process or framework.

The workshop is simply one piece of that journey.

Ask yourself:

Am I building solutions or am I building products?

Creating workshop after workshop without a clear solution attached to them often leads to a collection of disconnected offerings that are difficult for administrators to understand and buy.

Instead of building more workshops, focus on building a clear framework that addresses a specific challenge schools face.

Time-Waster #3: Trying to Serve Everyone

Many consultants believe casting a wider net will create more opportunities.

The opposite is usually true.

When your message speaks to everyone, it rarely resonates deeply with anyone.

Schools hire consultants who solve specific problems.

The more clearly you can communicate what you're known for, the easier it becomes for administrators to understand why they should hire you.

That doesn't mean turning away opportunities.

It means becoming known for something.

Whether it's literacy, school culture, behavior systems, leadership development, instructional coaching, or another area of expertise, specificity creates credibility.

The goal isn't to limit your opportunities.

The goal is to make your expertise easier to understand.

Time-Waster #4: Posting Content Without a Strategy

Let's be clear.

Content matters.

You're reading content right now.

I create content every week.

But content without strategy quickly becomes busy work.

Many consultants spend hours creating social media posts while never having conversations with decision-makers.

The purpose of content is not simply to stay visible.

The purpose of content is to build credibility.

And credibility becomes much more powerful when it's connected to relationships, conversations, and opportunities.

Instead of asking:

"What should I post today?"

Ask:

"How does this content help administrators understand the problem I solve?"

One strategic piece of content can create more opportunities than dozens of random posts.

Focus on:

• Quality over quantity
• Consistency over perfection
• Relevance over trends

Content should support your business goals, not distract from them.

Time-Waster #5: Waiting Until August

This may be the most costly mistake of all.

Every year, consultants tell themselves they'll get serious about their business once summer slows down.

Once vacation ends.

Once the kids go back to school.

Once August arrives.

But by then, much of the momentum has already been built.

Relationships have already been strengthened.

Conversations have already happened.

Planning decisions have already been made.

The consultants who are booked in the fall are often the ones who used June and July intentionally.

Not perfectly.

Just intentionally.

Small, consistent actions taken during the summer often create opportunities that show up months later.

What Education Consultants Should Focus on Instead

If I were building a consulting business right now, I'd focus on four things:

1. Conversations with Administrators

The more conversations you have, the more insights and opportunities you'll uncover.

2. Clarifying Your Framework

Make it easy for schools to understand how you help them move from a problem to a solution.

3. Strengthening Your Offer

Ensure your services clearly address a need schools are actively trying to solve.

4. Building Relationships

Relationships continue to be one of the most effective ways to generate opportunities and long-term contracts.

These activities create momentum.

These activities lead to contracts.

These activities move your business forward.

Final Thoughts

If this article felt a little uncomfortable, that's okay.

Growth often comes from removing distractions rather than adding more tasks.

Education consultants don't build successful businesses by doing everything.

They build successful businesses by focusing on the right things at the right time.

If you're unsure what those priorities should be this summer, download the Summer Success Roadmap. It will help you identify the highest-impact activities to focus on in June, July, and August so you can position yourself for a stronger fall.

And if you'd like support implementing that plan, consider joining the ECA Membership. Inside, you'll find quarterly planning sessions, office hours, coaching support, and a community of education consultants committed to building profitable, sustainable businesses.

Remember: success isn't about doing more.

It's about focusing on what matters most.